


Error in Judgement

by SophiaCatherine



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Light angst with a hopeful ending, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:08:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22336801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaCatherine/pseuds/SophiaCatherine
Summary: And just like that, she’s having an actual conversation with Iris West. If she didn’t know better, Zari could almost believe that Iris is interested in what she’s saying. With her perfectly manicured hand resting on the sleek line of her hip (Zari shoves her own nail-bitten hands into her pockets), and her gorgeous red lips curling up into a little smile, and—No, no, no.Zari is not going to do this to herself.She’s a popular girl. She could never, ever be into you.
Relationships: Zari Tomaz/Iris West
Comments: 26
Kudos: 26





	Error in Judgement

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChristineQuizMachine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristineQuizMachine/gifts).



> For ChristineQuizMachine’s high school AU prompt. Full prompt at the end, as it’s a bit spoilery. Hope you enjoy, Christine!

Friday 2.45pm 

Zari is muttering as she storms down the school hallway, clutching her laptop bag to her chest. 

“I hate her,” she lies as she walks. “Little Miss Popular School Paper Editor who doesn’t notice anyone who isn’t in her orbit of stars. I hate her, I hate her…”

“Zari,” comes a voice behind her. 

She spins like a tornado. “What?”

_Shit._

Because Zari’s luck is pretty much the worst, it’s Iris West - holding out an SD card like a white flag. “You left this in the _Citizen_ office,” she says, in a tone that’s far too sweet, for reasons Zari can’t fathom. 

Grabbing the card, Zari mutters, “Thanks…” and turns right back down the hallway to keep marching away. As far away from that damn school newspaper office as she can get.

Except, Iris is still talking. To her. _Iris West_ is talking to Zari ‘so popular she couldn’t even get herself elected to president of the coding club’ Tomaz. 

This is unprecedented. Zari’s just the convenient one who no one pays attention to until they need her. She only gets noticed - if you can even call it that - by the popular kids when they remember that they don’t know which button turns on the MacBook, because they’ve been too busy partying to learn. Popular kids like Iris West, editor of the _Central City High School Citizen,_ who’s asked Zari to come to her office four times this week and hasn’t said a single word to her.

 _At least pretend you’re capable of listening, Tomaz._ She tilts her head like she has an actual attention span. “Give me that again?”

And Iris… smiles. Almost kindly. “I said, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you. We’re having a hell of a time with tech at the _Citizen_ this week, and I just realised I never even said hello or introduced myself.” She sticks out a hand. “Iris West.”

Zari stares at the hand for a fuzzy couple of seconds before she remembers to grasp it. “I know who you are,” she says. “Uh, Zari Tomaz. Coding club sent me.”

Iris grins. “Yeah. I know who you are, too.”

This is all very confusing and Zari’s getting a headache. There’s no way Iris West knows who she is. 

Only last week, Zari was sprawled out on Ray Palmer’s couch, staring at the ceiling and bemoaning their mutual hopelessness with women. Ray, ever the walking box of marshmallows and optimism, was claiming he was working on the girl he liked, “but slowly and respectfully.” 

Zari sat up and flopped wearily back onto the couch again, mostly for effect. “Sure, Ray. You and Nora might even be friends by the time we graduate. You better both stay in Central City, though, since you’re gonna hit dating level right about the time you turn thirty.”

Ray grinned and flicked her lightly in the arm. “Yeah, Z, and you’re doing _so well_ with Iris West.”

Flicking him back just a little bit harder, she snapped that Iris was never going to have the first clue who she was, and at least Zari knew when to give up on a hopeless case. Unlike her best friend, who was going to be waiting around for Nora forever.

“Besides,” she added, sliding down the couch and kicking her legs in the air, “maybe I like someone I’ve actually got a chance with now.” 

Ray slid onto the floor with his chin in his hands and a squeaked _tell me!_ and Zari cracked under the powerful force of best friendship. By the end of the conversation, she’d told him all about Princess Ruto, her crush from a Discord gaming server. “And yes, I know she isn’t using her real name - I’m not either - but she’s really sweet.” Zari’s been working up the courage to ask her to meet up for real, now that she knows ‘Ruto’ is local, but she… hasn’t quite got there yet.

“I’m so sorry we’ve had to bother you so often,” Iris is saying, and Zari makes an actual effort to tune back into the conversation. “Our computers are in a complete mess, because the last editor was a total technophobe - thank you, Kara Danvers - but I’m trying to get it sorted. Talking of which—”

She gives Zari that sticky-sweet smile, the one that means people want something from her, and Zari’s heart drops through the floor. She should have seen it coming. “You need more of my help,” she guesses.

Apparently Iris didn’t notice her reaction, so that’s something. “I hate to ask yet again, but would you think about coming back tonight? I have one more thing I need you to look at. It’s our database. Hasn’t worked right since I’ve started. Come after 5. It’ll be quiet, and I can give you—” she smiles so charitably that it lifts Zari’s heart again, even as she’s cursing herself for giving in to the manipulation— “my undivided attention.”

And what else can Zari say to an offer like that from Iris West? “...Sure.”

* * *

Friday, 5.30pm

The school halls are almost deserted when Zari returns. Coding club has left her raging like a tempest - there’s a reason people call her the Hurricane. Hartley was being an asshole to Cisco for the entire agonizing hour, and she spent most of the hour with her headphones turned up and Halsey blasting her out of the world. But, hey, that antisocial spirit is what she’s known for. It’s not like anyone would have noticed anything was wrong.

She pauses at the door, pretending not to glare through the glass. Iris is tap-tapping away at her computer keyboard, making faces at the screen. 

“Oh, hey, Zari!” she says, almost as if she’s honestly happy to see her, as soon as Zari starts creaking the door open. 

Zari’s heart does a little skip that’s only going to end with it in pieces on the floor.

Iris shifts over, gesturing at the chair beside her. “You’re so kind to come back,” she’s saying. “Let me pull up the database for you…”

As Zari works, Iris asks questions, just like a real journalist. “So why do you give up all your time like this?” is one of the more awkward ones.

She has no idea why Iris is interested, but she finds herself answering - kind of. “Extra credit.”

Of course Iris West has a beautiful laugh, like everything else about her. _“You?_ For what? You must already have a perfect GPA…”

Zari shrugs and mutters something about scholarships. She doesn’t say that she’s desperate not to be a burden on her parents, who could never afford Ivy Town University. Or that the only thing she’s wanted for too long is to get out of this town, to go somewhere far away where no one knows her. School is miserable - contemptible people, vacuous classes and loneliness. She’d like college to be at least bearable.

And just like that, she’s having another actual conversation with Iris West. If she didn’t know better, Zari could almost believe that Iris is interested in what she’s saying. With her perfectly manicured hand resting on the sleek line of her hip (Zari shoves her own nail-bitten hands into her pockets), and her gorgeous red lips curling up into a little smile, and— 

_No, no, no._ Zari is not going to do this to herself. _She’s a popular girl. She could never, ever be into_ you.

Something in the database code is giving Zari that _wrong_ feeling in her gut, and she frowns at the screen. “I can see your problem. You’ve got an instance-specific error.”

Iris blinks at her. “A what?”

“Don’t worry,” she mutters, since there’s no point explaining. “Hey, do you have another terminal I can check this on? A laptop or tablet?”

Iris reaches down to rummage in her bag, pulling out an iPad and waving it at her. “Will this do?” Zari waits for Iris to fingerprint-unlock it, then accepts the device, setting it up in front of the computer. Then she goes to open a browser window.

It’s muscle memory, automatic, that has her clicking on another app by mistake.

Discord. 

The ice pick hits her in her chest a full second before she realises what she’s looking at. A brutally familiar username in harsh white print, right there on the screen.

“Wait - what are you…” Iris starts - and cuts off in a shock of silence.

Zari shoves the tablet across the table so hard it clatters to the floor. She stands up. “You’re Princess Ruto.” 

“Zari—”

Her brain is static, but another dark stab of rage cuts through the fog. “Did you know?” She can’t interpret Iris’s silence - _people_ make no fucking sense. She tries again. “Did you know that I’m Mithra?”

Iris’s stare drops to the table.

“Oh my God.” 

“Zari,” Iris says again, urgent.

Flinging out a hand, Zari snatches up her things, ripping her laptop bag out of Iris’s grasp when she picks it up to - help her get the fuck out of there, apparently. Zari can understand that.

She doesn’t look back, all the way down the hallway, ignoring the calling of her name that doesn’t stop until she’s out of the school and running for her car.

* * *

Saturday, 6pm

“Cavalry’s arrived,” says an impossibly cheerful voice from the doorway. “With donuts.” 

Zari’s lying on her bed, staring at the Little Mix poster on the ceiling. “How _ever_ did you find me?” she quips. Well, attempted quip. She’s not up to her usual wit.

“Your mom said you haven’t moved from here all day.” Ray settles at the end of her bed, putting down the biggest box of Dunkin Donuts she’s ever seen, along with half a load of clean laundry. “Just being helpful!” he warbles, when she raises her eyebrows at the laundry basket.

He’s already giving her one of his looks, clearly having a lot of _feelings_ on her behalf. This is offensive, so she sits up and glares at him. “What?”

“You gonna tell me what this is about, or do I have to…?” He moves the box of donuts just out of her reach, with a look of practiced innocence that says he knows exactly what he’s doing. Grabbing a Chocolate Kreme and biting into it, he grins at her. “Mmm.”

Her eyes are about to roll out of her head, but she really wants one of those. “Fine,” she snaps, and scooches over to make room on her right. “The price of information is a Cinnamon Sugar.”

Ray eagerly wriggles in next to her, offering out the requested donut.

It’s not until she’s half way done with the donut that she can bring herself to say out loud, with a sigh: “Iris West.”

“Zariiii,” he chides. “Didn’t we settle this? She’s never gonna know who you are.”

She hits him on the arm to have something to do. “She doesn’t. Except apparently she does now, but she _shouldn’t._ ”

He purses his lips. “We are talking about the same Iris West as usual, right? Editor of the _Citizen,_ dated the captain of the football team last year - oh, what’s his name?”

“Eddie Thawne, and stop getting distracted, Ray. Yes, _that_ Iris.” She slumps back against a pile of pillows, wishing she could dissolve into it. “She’s Princess Ruto.”

It seems to take Ray a minute to catch up, and then he turns a bit gray. “No way. Your crush from the gaming chat? The one you—”

“Yes, okay!” She grabs the pillow from behind her and shoves it over her head, so she doesn’t have to look at his stupid face anymore. “And - get this - she knew who I was,” she hears her own muffled voice say. “So I guess it was all just a joke to her.”

But his kind, persistent hand is on her arm anyway. “Why would she do that?” he asks, far too gently.

“Because she’s mean,” Zari snaps back.

There’s silence, and she knows exactly what he’s doing. Giving her space to stew until she makes it out the other side. Best friends - worst thing ever.

It takes a few minutes, but when she crawls out from the pillow pile, he’s smiling sadly at her. “Fine,” she says, defeated. “I don’t know why she would do that.”

Ray passes her the box again, his face thoughtful as he chomps into his second donut, a jelly one. “Well,” he says between bites, “The way I see it, you’ve got a couple of options. One, leave school and join the circus— ow.” He removes the pillow from his face, tossing it back at her. “Or, two, talk to her.”

“Ugh.” She buries her head in her folded arms. “Can I take the first option?”

He chuckles. “If you like, but you don’t actually have any circus skills. Unless you learned to fly and I didn’t hear about it.”

Slowly she raises her head. “Do I have to?”

“Talk to her?” She nods. He shrugs. “Nope, you don’t ever have to speak to her again. It’s a big school. But if I know you - and I have since you were six - you’re going to sulk about this until you graduate.” He tilts his head at her with a fond smile. “So maybe you should at least think about it?”

“Oh, God.” The thought of talking to Iris West is far too much to contemplate right now. She grabs Ray’s hand. “Come on. We’re asking my mom for advice. You’re staying for dinner, right? She’s making khoresh.”

“Sure!” he chirps, and flitters downstairs ahead of her. 

Well, at least one thing in her life is uncomplicated, even if it’s Ray Palmer.

* * *

Sunday, 4.10pm

There’s a reason Zari doesn’t go to CC Jitters very often, and right now it’s trying not to stare at her across the counter.

Iris West has a part-time job here.

This might be the bravest thing Zari’s ever done. It’s not like she has Iris’s number - and the thought of messaging her on Discord actually made her nauseous. So, in true Zari Tomaz form, she made an impulse decision, grabbed her coat, texted Ray to warn him she might be about to flush her nonexistent popularity down the toilet - he sent her a thumbs-up and a rainbow flag - and drove to the one place she knew she’d find Iris.

And now Iris is watching her like _she’s_ the one with something to worry about.

The dread just keeps ramping up, higher with every more minute she waits. After twenty, it’s too much. She’s just starting to reach for her coat when— 

A latte clinks onto the table.

She looks up into Iris’s pinched but still beautiful face. She’s biting her lip, and Zari doesn’t think she’s ever seen her look this nervous. It’s so ridiculous, she nearly laughs out loud. Zari’s just Zari. It’s not like she _matters._

“My shift ends in half an hour,” is all Iris says, before she disappears behind the counter again.

True to her word, she’s back at five on the dot, with two more lattes, setting another in front of Zari - and pausing. “Is this okay? I, uh— I’ve seen you here sometimes. You always get a latte.”

It’s a long five seconds before Zari’s capable of replying that it’s fine. Iris West really does know who she is. 

Iris West, whose eyes are flickering like wildfire between Zari and the drink, and this is _ridiculous._ But Zari can only think one thing, and it’s that she doesn’t want to be the person who makes Iris look like that. “It’s fine,” she says, her tone as friendly as she can manage - and that sure doesn’t come easily to her. She waves at the seat opposite.

Iris sinks into it, her eyes tight on her coffee. “I’m sorry,” she says, and she really sounds like she means it. She glances up at Zari. “Can I explain?”

Zari just nods, because her brain is now returning a 404 error. She couldn’t talk if she wanted to, with Iris West looking at her like she _cares._

“I figured out who you were about a week ago,” Iris admits. Between shy - _shy??_ \- glances at Zari, she’s staring at the fingers of her right hand where they’re tapping on the side of her mug. “You mentioned coding club, and you’d already referenced Central High before. There’s only one girl in coding club at this school.”

Zari shrugs. “Well, and Gideon, till she transferred. I didn’t know you knew so much about the geeks in this school.”

“Just you,” Iris whispers, her eyes wide. 

Zari swallows. She has to force the next question out. “But you didn’t know before that?”

She gives a sincere, slow shake of her head. “Not for the whole four months, Zari. I promise. But I’ve—” Her gaze returns to the table. “I’ve noticed you.” She smiles as if she can’t help it. “You’re cute, and Barry likes you…” She trails off, apparently lost for words.

For a minute, Zari can’t think past ‘noticed you’ and ‘cute’. 

Then a weird disjunct occurs to her, and she recovers. “You know Barry Allen?”

Iris tilts her head. “Uh, yeah. He’s been my best friend since middle school.” An amused eyebrow raises. “You really don’t know much about me, do you?”

Zari tries not to bristle. She fails. “Not everyone’s obsessed with the popular kids in this damn town.” Her snarky tone is back, but she’s still too mad to stamp it down. “I’m surprised you’d put up with a nerd for a best friend.”

Iris just smiles. She settles back in her chair, gazing at Zari as if she’s something… special. “You’re one to talk. Ray Palmer is unbelievably irritating.”

“That’s why I get along with him,” Zari shoots back.

They grin at each other for a moment. It’s nice. Weird… but nice. 

And then they fade into awkward silence.

“I should have told you,” Iris says in a quiet voice full of regret. “As soon as I worked it out.” She’s looking at Zari like she’s the only person in the world, now, and it’s giving her that uncanny _wrong_ feeling in her gut - but it’s amazing, too, like nothing she’s ever felt before. It’s not the hearts and rainbows she’s always been so afraid of. It’s... nice. Zari makes herself match her stare for stare, while Iris sighs. “But like I said, I liked you even more when I figured out who you were.”

Zari’s never been this brave in her life, and it _hurts,_ but she has to know. This could still be some spiteful prank - by the universe, if not from Iris. “Why didn't you tell me?”

A tight, guilty shrug. “I didn’t think _you’d_ like me very much anymore, if you found out who I was.”

There’s a little vortex of shame swirling in Zari’s stomach. “I thought you had to be messing with me,” she admits. The floor tiles in this place have a nice pattern. ”Thought you found out who I was and decided to play some kinda cruel joke.”

“I guess there’s a lot about me you’ve misjudged.” Iris’s smile is too sad to bear, and Zari never wants to make her look like that again. 

“Guess so,” Zari mutters back, contemplating all her new reasons for wanting the world to split open beneath her and drag her under. It’s a change of pace from the usual, at least.

And then Iris is reaching across the table, and there’s a gentle hand on Zari’s. “That’s okay,” Iris says. “We’ve got a lot to learn about each other. Where do you want to start?”

Zari looks up into forgiving, hopeful eyes, so deep she just wants to get lost in them. Well, it’s better than wanting to get lost, period. When she can tear her gaze away, she looks around the coffee shop. “CC Jitters, huh? I kind of assumed you were a rich kid.”

Iris snorts. “Wow. Sanctimonious, much?” But she’s grinning, something fond in it. “My _single dad_ is a cop. Two kids. And there’s Barry, who lives next door and keeps trying to eat the family into abject poverty.”

“Ray does that to us.” Zari can’t fight a smile. “I don’t help. My mom says if my appetite gets any bigger they’ll have to get a second mortgage.”

At some point, Iris’s fingers have threaded into her own. Zari can feel her heart racing, but there’s no way she’s letting go. This could still all be a dream, and if it is, she has no intention of waking up. 

Iris laughs, and it’s just as beautiful as it was on Friday. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen you in the cafeteria.” And then she jumps up. “Cheesecake!”

Zari feels herself blinking like she’s forgotten she has an IQ of 140. “Huh?”

From under a bashful raised eyebrow, Iris says, “When I saw you come in, I put aside two chocolate cheesecakes for us. I can’t believe I forgot them. Just a sec!” And she’s off in the direction of the kitchen again, running like she’s remembered something profound and momentous, not just a cheesecake for a nobody like Zari Tomaz.

As she watches Iris walk away - damn, she’s hot - Zari’s phone buzzes. 

_How’s it going?_ Ray’s text reads.

 _You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,_ she sends back. _Weirdest day of my life._

_Glad to hear it. Barry says hi + we should have helped you guys out from the start._

_I hate you both,_ she just about has time to reply, before Iris is back with two plates of the best cheesecake Zari’s ever tasted.

Oh yeah, definitely the weirdest day of her life… but it’s not the worst. And when Iris smiles, Zari lets herself imagine how much better it’s about to get.

She decides she’s going to let it.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: HackerNews High School AU concept: “We’ve been chatting online under anonymous screen names for a while, and we were supposed to meet in-person today. But it turns out that you’re one of the most popular girls in school, and I’m a loser. Obviously, you were just pretending to like me as a mean joke. I can’t believe I was was dumb enough to fall for it.”
> 
> I love comments and always reply! You can find me on [tumblr](https://sophiainspace.tumblr.com/), [dreamwidth](https://sophia-catherine.dreamwidth.org/) or [twitter](https://sophiacatherin5).


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